When Worlds Collide
by toxic honey
Summary: The team find themselves together at a Nevada high school, happy and content. But when one of their friends is abducted, they must find ways to restore stability to their lives. Each other.
1. 1

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: I'm back, I'm dangerous, and I'm totally PYSCHOTIC. Please don't ask why this is set in the present day: I just couldn't be bothered to send the team back into the mid-nineteen-eighties. Additionally, there are too many age gaps so large in size, that I have used Poetic Licence to shrink them. Although I think it would take a truckful of Poetic Licence to turn 15 (between Grissom, oldest, and Sara, youngest) years into 1. If you really love me, you'll ignore that. *Grins*  
  
***  
  
The school bell rang shrilly out through the building, rattling Catherine Willow's perfect teeth. She gave her reflection one last glance, and left the girl's bathroom. Although not particularly tall, Catherine, even at the age of fifteen, possessed shapely legs and a curvy figure. Her calculating blue eyes had a glint of intelligence - the first clue that she was no air head – and shoulder-length blonde hair fell around her face.  
  
Upon exiting the bathroom, she was greeted by her best friend, Lindsay. Despite her Cosmo-girl looks, she was not an It-Girl, and she planned on keeping it that way. Instead, Catherine ignored cheerleading tryouts and continued on with her studies, content to know that she could make any peer group she wanted.  
  
Lindsay smiled and hugged her best friend. "So, have a good summer?" she asked, starting toward their homeroom. Catherine – following suit – replied, "Yeah. It was OK."  
  
"Only OK?" Lindsay enquired, shifting her text books in the crook of her arm. She was answered with a shrug, as her friend pushed open the door of room fifteen, and a wave of noise hit them. "It was fine. What about you?" Catherine let her friend in first.  
  
"Thanks. It was great." they stopped their conversation when they took adjacent seats halfway down the classroom. Their form teacher had arrived.  
  
***  
  
A brunette girl sat alone at the back of the class, her face angled down as she made her way down the pages in front of her. Distracted when a paper aircraft landed on her head, she brushed it away, thinking, 'Fourteen years old and still struggling with aerodynamics. So infantile.'  
  
Her name was Sara Sidle, and she was officially Class Swot. She'd filled the role since the age of about five, and she guessed her classmates would have it no other way. However, she disliked the thought of becoming one of those forgotten people on the edge of high school society, and so she made her claim to fame by mildly throwing her intellect in other people's faces.  
  
Another aeroplane landed on her desk, and she craftily flipped it back at the offender, who promptly got in trouble for trying to manoeuvre it back at her. Apparently, even jocks had trouble with tact.  
  
Her form teacher finished the register, and dismissed the unruly class. Picking up her backpack, Sara made her way to her English lesson. As she walked, she double-checked her timetable. 'Miss Lee, Room 15', she read, arriving outside the room. Before school had started, Sara had wandered around the hallways to memorise the floorplan – that was seemingly futile now: the class she was looking at now, was a class full of sophomores.  
  
***  
  
Gil was surprised when a freshman entered his physics class, clutching her timetable and looking confused. "Is this Miss Lee's class?" she asked, timidly. The teacher shook his head.  
  
"Miss Lee has had her lesson relocated to the top floor." he replied, already scanning the class for a suitable chaperone for the young girl. His eyes rested on Gil, who immediately knew what was going to happen. "Uh... Grissom, take her to room twenty."  
  
Obligingly leading the girl into the hallway, he wondered what the hell he was going to talk about all the way up three flights of stairs. As it turned out, she had quite a bit of spare confidence herself. "Was that Mr Long?" she wondered aloud, fiddling with her hair.  
  
"Yes." came the simple reply.  
  
"I've got a double period with him on Wednesday." Sara stated, smugly. She knew that freshman students rarely had Mr Long for any subjects.  
  
"Oh. Bit of a science geek are we?" Gil threw back, without realising the potential hurt he could cause.  
  
The comment did sting a little, and Sara's defence mechanism came up. "You'd think a teacher would pick a more friendly student to help an underclassmen." she shot, rounding the corner slightly behind him.  
  
"I'm nice." he said. Sara snorted. "Well, this is it. Don't get lost again." he whispered, opening the door for her. She shot him a sweetly patronising look, and stalked into her class. 


	2. 2

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: Nada. Pre-Series junk.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: Here we go! Chapter Two! Kinda boring, but the upshot is: Nick meets Warrick (fifteen and a sophomore at the school), and we discover that Gil is friends with Catherine – they are both sophomores, too.  
  
***  
  
Sitting in the lunch hall, Warrick Brown surveyed the new intake of students. He was just wondering if there were any of them – any at all – who weren't total nerds, when one appeared beside him, clutching a dinner tray. "Hey man, can I sit there?" the freshman asked, and Warrick made a noise of consent.  
  
The kid before him was tall, but not lanky, with a dark buzz cut and shadowy eyes. There was a strong Texan lilt in his speech. "You from down south?" Warrick asked, picking at his food. The kid nodded.  
  
"Nick Stokes." he offered Warrick his hand.  
  
"Brown. Warrick Brown." he shook Nick's hand, and they were soon embroiled in a lengthy discussion about football. For some reason, they just clicked. With Warrick's bad track record around other people, and Nick's sometimes overbearing nature, neither had many platonic attachments, making it easy for them to become instant friends.  
  
Catherine watched from the other end of the canteen, glad that the quite teenager had made a friend. She watched him from afar, sometimes wondering how such a beautiful boy could be so alone. She had to admit, she sometimes wondered if she should talk to him, and part of her wanted to be more involved with him, yet she knew she couldn't. Each time she tried to make contact with him, he undid it all again by disappearing alone. Frustrating.  
  
She watched a bit more, and to her dismay, the kid at Warrick's table was Nick Stokes! Catherine had once lived on the same road as him, just after he moved from Texas. 'Fortune must've smiled.' she thought, 'He's my way in – if he can maintain a friendship with Warrick, that is.'  
  
As Lindsay returned from the lunch que the her tray, Gil arrived with his. "Hello Catherine." he greeted her, warmly.  
  
"Gil How's it going?" she asked, as Lindsay placed her lunch on the table, smiling briefly at Grissom, as he was regularly called by his classmates. "Alright. Got biology with Higgins this semester?" he asked, pulling out his timetable. Catherine replied that she had, and Lindsay piped up. "What about physics?"  
  
"Mr Long on Wednesdays." he replied, and the other two looked disappointed. "With her." he pointed at the girl he'd directed to English earlier on.  
  
Both the girls at the table turned in their seats to see her. "Where?" Catherine asked, and Grissom directed her at the lunch line. 'What? A freshman?' She wondered, without bothering to voice her dismay.  
  
***  
  
At the end of the day, Catherine and Lindsay headed straight for their favourite ice cream parlour to do their homework, and Gil went home to his mother.  
  
On the way, he wondered how the science geek was doing. Of course, he knew how duplicitous he was being in calling someone *else* that. Anyway, she had some aura of confidence about her, despite her obvious lack of social skills. 'Again, Gil displays his hypocritical side.' he thought, dryly.  
  
Letting himself into the house, he searched around for his mother – she was deaf; to call for her was no good. He found her reading in the living room, and sat down opposite her. She looked up, closed the book, and made a series of complex hand motions. Sign language. "How was your day?" she asked, her hands gliding over well-practiced moves. Gil replied in kind, and told her that he had to write an essay.  
  
His room was small, but well-ordered: a wardrobe stood against one wall, a bed against the opposite, with a dark-coloured throw over it. A window illuminated the room, pouring sunshine onto Gil's desk. Failing that, a set of black lights dotted over the place provided night time light. The walls were painted deep blue, and a cork board beside the door was littered with photos of Gil and his mother, and, oddly, bugs. Entering it now, he sat down at the desk and began work.  
  
Unfortunately, his mind was centred on that girl from school, and he was soon unable to concentrate on his work. He had to talk to her again. 


	3. 3

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: Finally, Purplefox pulls herself together and writes a USEFUL chapter. Well, that's for you to decide... :-)  
  
The next day, during lunch, Gil saw Sara eating by herself. He excused himself from his usual table, and put his tray down on hers. "Hello again." he said, sitting beside her, boldly. She looked up at him. "Hey." she greeted him, smiling. "Had a fight with Barbie?" she asked, nodding her head at Catherine and Lindsay. Grissom shrugged. "Interesting nickname." he pointed out, and Sara gave him another grin.  
  
"It's what comes of having a brain." she sniped, playfully. Grissom frowned.  
  
"Catherine is a very intelligent girl." he defended his friend, slightly ruffled.  
  
"Oh, I am so sure." Sara said, winding this boy up. "What's your name again?"  
  
"Gil. What's yours?"  
  
"Sara."  
  
Lindsay noticed that Catherine was not paying full attention to what she was saying, and followed her friends eyeline to Warrick and Nick. She made a playful comment about Catherine choosing a new boyfriend. Catherine shook her head. "I just want to get to know him a little better." she replied, complacently. She didn't look back at the boys, something Lindsay picked up on. "Go talk to them." she said, poking her friend with her fork. Glancing at the smear of humus on her shirt, Catherine wiped it off and left her tray at the table.  
  
She appeared behind Warrick, looking straight at Nick. "Hi Nick." she greeted him, causing Warrick to turn around. "Catherine. You know Nick?"  
  
"Used to live on the same street, didn't we?" she looked at her old friend, who nodded. "Yeah. Cardinal Road." he agreed.  
  
"Can I sit?" she asked, pulling out a chair. Warrick nodded. 'Just like old times'.  
  
Soon after that Tuesday, Lindsay, Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Gil were sitting together at lunch, and Sara quickly followed. One day after school, the six were sitting in the local park, enjoying the September sunshine.  
  
Lindsay returned juggling three ice creams, with Catherine in hot pursuit, holding the other two. Everyone scrambled to get the right one, nearly dropping at least two in the process. On the tartan blanket Sara had picked up from her place, Warrick sat back-to-back with Catherine, Nick and Lindsay – dating at the time – were cuddled together, and Sara was lying beside Gil. The gang were rarely seen apart then, all of them keen on the sciences and sharing quite a few classes.  
  
"Eww!" Catherine shrieked, abruptly jumping up from her spot. Warrick fell backwards, yelling. Sara laughed as her friend retreated to a safe distance from the blanket. "A BUG!" she cried, and Grissom lunged for the specimen. Warrick looked on, amused, and took a swig of Coke from a can. "A mayfly." reported Grissom, interested. Making sure that Catherine saw, he purposefully put it down a good distance from their spot. "Its safe to come back!" Nick called, teasing. On her way back, Catherine gave Nick a playful slap around the head.  
  
Resting her chin on her hands, Sara commented, "So you're an entomologist, are you?" At this, Gil smiled beguilingly.  
  
"Only in my head." he replied. "What about you? You're into physics." Sara shrugged, gazing out at the park.

"I'm a nobody." she told him, not self-pityingly, but more as an answer to his question.

"Not to us." Grissom replied, gently.  
  
"Well, I need to head home – the kids'll be driving Mum nuts." Nick said, abruptly, getting up and dusting himself off. He gave Lindsay a kiss on the cheek and took off with his schoolbag, waving goodbye to the others. "Yeah. I'll be off, too. Got that essay to finish." Sara added, as she clambered off the rug. "Oh- Wait, can you give this to me tomorrow, Linds?" she asked, not wanting to ask Gil to run around after her.  
  
"Sure. Bye!" Lindsay replied, and Sara left, leaving the three older kids together. The moment Sara was gone, Catherine looked accusingly at Gil, who shrugged in reply. Warrick cracked open a can of Cola. Gil's gaze turned to him. "How many of those have you got?" he asked, incredulous.  
  
"A few."


	4. 4

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: And here is chapter four. I'm planning on eight chapters, btw.  
  
***  
  
It was a Monday afternoon, when Catherine sat on the bleachers overlooking the playing field. Around her, Nick and Warrick were mucking around with a rubber chicken from somewhere, and Sara was talking quietly to Gil. 'Almost the perfect couple.' she thought, absently. Her cell phone at her ear as she listened to Lindsay's cell ringing, she mused that it was unlike her friend to switch the phone off. Linds hadn't been in school all day, and Catherine was checking that her friend was OK.  
  
Finally, she gave up, and called the house phone. It rang for a few seconds, and was answered by a stranger. "Hello?" Catherine frowned at the new voice. Nick fell backwards, jostling her, and she shooed him away, her attention with the caller on the other line. This caught Warrick and Nick's attention.  
  
"Kidnapped." Catherine's voice was sceptical, a kind of 'you-are-kidding-me- right?' tone layered on it. "Oh my God." she whispered, her hand coming to her mouth. Nick's face fell, and he sat beside his friend, listening to the guy on the phone. "Her parents..."  
  
"Are fine, Miss. Why don't you come meet them at the lab? We'll need to take statements from you and her friends." the male caller asked Catherine, and she replied,  
  
"Of course. We'll all be there in an hour's time. On Main Street?" she knew the CSI building. The investigator replied in the affirmative, and she explained the call to the boys, and Gil and Sara – their interest had been piqued by their peer's reactions – agreed to go to the Crime Lab with the three. Lindsay had been abducted.  
  
***  
  
"Georgia!" Sara spotted Lindsay's mother by the front desk, and ran up to her. "Oh my God, are you OK?" she asked, and the older woman nodded, clutching a tissue. Peter, Lindsay's father, was standing with his arm around his wife, trying to console her.  
  
"Sara." Gil put his hand on Sara's arm, calming her. "Mr and Mrs Watts: Catherine, Warrick, Sara, Nick and I are all here to give statements about yesterday morning, when we went to that café on Broughton, remember?" he spoke gently, soothingly, and the parents nodded.  
  
The relationship between the six friends had been so strong since August, that their parents all knew one another and their children's friends; the gang were no strangers to Georgia and Peter Watts. The adults were tearing their hair out, waiting for someone a the lab to talk to them.  
  
Quickly, an argument broke out among the teenagers, despite the fact that all of them still recovering from shock. "Are you sure they want all of us here?" Warrick asked, nervy. Sara shook her head.  
  
"Generally, they wouldn't. In a murder case, they'd come to us, so as not to flood the lab with statements." she explained, and Catherine began to panic.  
  
"Murder case? So that's what this is, then? Lindsay's already dead?" she hissed, infuriated. Luckily, she managed to keep her voice down and the parents didn't hear.  
  
The turmoil swirling in Catherine was unbearable. Lindsay had been there through middle school, one and a half years of high school... What if she *was* dead? What would Catherine do then? And Lindsay's parents – what about them? How could she ever console the loss of their daughter? 'Wait. Don't jump ahead. You have to believe that she's OK.' she told herself, sternly.  
  
"Cath... That's not what I meant." Sara pleaded, but Catherine wouldn't listen.  
  
"I'm going to go find a CSI or someone." she said, stalking off. She tried to fight the incessant worry permeating her, and pushed it down inside. Her demeanour would be cool, presented, and serene. Catherine knew the drill by now: the adults aren't so smart. Do the talking for them.  
  
When she returned to her friends, a man – seemingly the one she'd spoken to on the phone – was talking to them. He took statements from them all, and told them to go home, rest and try not to worry. 'Ha. Like that's possible.' Catherine thought, wryly, as she called home and explained to her mother what was going on.  
  
"And..." Catherine took a moment to regain control of her voice, tightening her grip on her cell. "...I'll be home as soon as I can get a bus." her mother fussed a little about the bus part, but Catherine knew that it was the same old bull as before. "I'll be fine." she said, ending the call.  
  
'I hope.' 


	5. 5

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: So shoot me. There's been not a lot of that romance you all demanded. Oh well. Bear with me. That is, if you're all still reading.  
  
***  
  
The next day at school was a nightmare. Everyone knew what had happened, of course – that was the worst part. The others.  
  
As Catherine and Gil walked bravely at the front of the group, Nick was comforted for the loss of his girlfriend by Sara and Warrick. First of all, one of the spoilt princesses on the cheerleading squad approached them. "I'm so sorry about little Lindsay. I know she'll be missed." she said, sincerely. Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight, and Sara hated her even more than before. "Yes, but we'll only appreciate her more when she gets back home." she sniped, viciously. The others stopped walking, shocked at the hostility of Sara's comment.  
  
'How dare she? When she's never spoken to Lindsay – or us – except for the bitchiness expected of her. And when Lindsay isn't even dead.' Sara felt a tear slide down her cheek, and Gil brushed his hand against hers. A little shiver ran down Sara's spine. She gave her friend a small, beautiful smile.  
  
Later, at lunch, the group joined one another at a table. Noticing that neither of the girls had bought food that day, Warrick got a bowl of chips to share between them. "You can't stop eating." he said, caringly, as he took a seat beside Catherine.  
  
"Thanks." they both said, but neither took anything.  
  
They all discovered that people had been approaching them during lesson time and in the hallways, asking if they were OK. All of them could be cold, but that only meant they covered the hurt. Not that they didn't feel it, nor that they felt it any less. It was, many would marvel, a wonder gang hadn't really gotten into any trouble. Yet. It was only a matter of time before Catherine snapped – people were acting as if Lindsay was dead already – and everyone knew it.  
  
***  
  
The investigation went on the next day, and a few officers accompanied a CSI, who asked to speak to Sara after school. Finding the student in her physics class a few moments before the bell rang, the investigator had Sara extracted from the midst of an experiment, and checked out of school.  
  
"Miss Sidle, my name is Helen Matthews; I'm investigating Lindsay's abduction." Sara winced at the word, the wound still tender. "I'd like to ask a few questions." Helen stated, her professional detachment quite disconcerting to Sara, who nodded. "OK."  
  
"Lindsay was last seen on Monday morning, heading out to school. We have evidence of your presence at her house – you were there on Sunday afternoon?" the CSI pushed, cockily. Sara's voice shook under the scrutiny – this woman was just too much, after the sleepless night's she had suffered. She strained to remember, but all she could recall was the stress, worry and hurt of the past three days.  
  
"Uh... Oh, I went to pick up a blanket. I lent it to her and the others at the park." Sara knew already that if she gave an overload of information, suspicion would arise, but to give too little would have similar effects.  
  
The woman spoke again. "Did she say anything about going somewhere the next day?" Sara's mind played the visit over.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"OK, well, I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, I thought I'd pull a sickie. I've got a Maths exam tomorrow."  
  
"Lindsay! How- Oh, never mind. See ya."  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
'Not as if she's gonna get busted for that, after what's happened.' Sara reasoned, and she told the CSI about it.  
  
The interview ended soon after, the investigator keen to analyse this new data with her investigator friends in their investigations lab. Rolling her eyes, the teenager opened the door, exiting the room quietly. "Gil!" Sara exclaimed, seeing her friend sitting in one of the seats outside the room. He smiled at her, reassuring.  
  
Recently, the boys had become much more protective over Sara and Catherine – maybe because they sensed an emotional need for it, but most likely because they felt they were helpless when it came to Lindsay; they needed to protect their remaining friends. 'And it's not possessive either. It's sweet.' Sara thought, as Gil guided her down the hallways.  
  
"You OK?" he asked, concerned. She nodded, smiling at him. Somehow, Gil convinced her to come over for dinner. "Mum makes good pie."  
  
Sitting back in her chair, Sara gave Mrs Grissom the thumbs-up. Gil had been right; his mother made veeeeery nice pie. She asked her friend to tell his mother that, and when he made the hand gestures, the old woman smiled at Sara – then, she did another phrase. One that made Gil blush a little. 'She'd make a nice girlfriend for you.' Needless to say, Gil didn't translate for her.  
  
Later on, in his room, Gil asked Sara what went on in the interview. At great length, she explained to him what was happening. "I think she was playing truant and got abducted." she finished, on the verge of tears. Grissom put his hand to her cheek – without thinking – and Sara's eyes shot to his face. Unable to move, or think, Gil sat there, panic-stricken.  
  
And then she moved her head forward; a catalyst, of sorts. Their mouths met in a tentative, gentle kiss. Realising what she was doing, Sara jolted away. "I- I have to go." she said, grabbing her jacket and flying out of the door.  
  
She clattered down the stairs, not afraid of Gil's mother hearing, and swung the door open, hurrying out into the cold night.  
  
Her blood was rushing around her body, her heart beating out an ostinato against her chest. Cheeks blushing red, she welcomed the cooling air. Sara's body felt flushed and hot. Even though the kiss had been butterfly- soft, her lips felt swollen.  
  
Guilt weighed her down as she arrived home. First of all, for kissing Gil; her best friend, older than her by a year. Second for running away; leaving him alone and probably feeling foolish. Thirdly, because she felt like she was too young for her first kiss – not ready – and like everyone would know, and her parents would be disappointed in her and... Well, she ran out of worries. Because part of her felt like it was supposed to happen. Supposed to happen with Gil.  
  
Unlocking the door with her house keys, Sara stepped in and called, "Mum, Dad, I'm home!" they yelled their acknowledgements, and she hurried upstairs.  
  
'I kissed him because I felt like I wanted to, and like I actually needed to. Strange. I don't like him, do I? I've never had a crush on anyone before.' She undressed. 'It's not like I've never noticed he's a boy and he's sweet.' She threw on some nightclothes. 'And I did kind of like that kiss.' Clambering into bed, Sara tried to forget what had happened, and she fell asleep. 


	6. 6

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: There. Happy now? You got your romance. Now for a little bit of improvised angst!  
  
***  
  
"Nick?" Catherine asked, tentatively. She sat down beside him as he stared out at the desert. The horizon was blurred, the sky purple in the fading light. An endless red plane of rocks and sand stretched out before them, dotted with desert flowers. Nick didn't break his gaze from the scene.  
  
Steadying herself, the young woman moved closer to her friend. Both sitting on the desert floor, knees hugged to their chests, they could barely have been noticed as Catherine whispered the bad news. "I'm so sorry, Nicky." she tried to put her arm around him, but he shied away. "I'm fine." he said.  
  
Silence fell, the pair both wrapped up in their grief. Catherine let her tears fall freely, and Nick allowed himself to cry a little. He trusted the girl next to him – enough to show his weakness, unafraid. "I brought her out here once." he said, breaking the thick blanket of stillness. "We watched the sunset."  
  
"Romantic." Catherine smiled through her tears.  
  
Nick's intake of breath was shaky. "Yeah." He pulled her closer, and she moved against him, "We're OK."  
  
"We will be, in time."  
  
***  
  
Sara scrambled to reach her phone in time. She scrambled around, searching beneath all her papers and text books, finally finding the small, silver flip phone. "Hello? Mrs Watts?" she stopped working. Morbid fear struck her heart; this was the call she'd been waiting for, wishing to evade. But knowing it would come, all the same. After five days, how could it not? "Oh... Oh God. I'm so sorry, are you OK? If you need anything, at all, just call, OK? Yeah, I will. Take care of yourselves. Goodbye."  
  
She ended the call, and began to cry.  
  
***  
  
"Hello, this is Gil... Mr Watts?" Gil's stomach twisted. He listened, not speaking. The father finished talking, but Gil didn't reply. Shock. Bereavement. "I-I'm sorry."  
  
***  
  
Saturday morning rolled around, and the five friends met in a café, Lindsay's favourite one, at nine o' clock. They ordered a coffee each, and sat there waiting for their order, talking very little. "How you holding up, man?" Warrick asked Nick, who shrugged. "I'm alright." came the dead, monotonous answer. Nick, clearly, was not alright.  
  
In their grief, Sara and Grissom could not find it in themselves to be angry over the events of Wednesday night. In times like that, it was hard to be thinking about the opposite sex. Or, at least, it should've been. Sara's mind was with Gil, not Lindsay. It made her feel bad. But she couldn't help it – she was confused, upset, and looking for comfort. When the anger she'd been expecting from her friend didn't show, she couldn't help but fall into that trap.  
  
When their coffees arrived, the gang piled in, Nick taking his back. "Man, how can you do that?" Warrick asked, trying to lighten the mood. Bad move. No-one batted an eyelid, and he sensed the coldness radiating off his friends in waves. It was hopeless.  
  
"We have to get past this." Gil told them, gently. Everyone looked up.  
  
"Gil, it's gonna take time." Catherine reasoned, suppressing her anger, and trying not to upset Nick. Sara looked disbelieving. "How can you even be thinking about moving on right now?" she asked, her voice escalating.  
  
"It's not as if it's the end of the world." Gil replied, refusing to believe the attitude *some* people had to this. "Oh," Catherine gave a dry laugh, "so our friend is dead, and you think it's not the end of the world." She demanded, outraged.  
  
"No, but life isn't going to just-"  
  
"Shut up! She wasn't your best friend!"  
  
Nick snorted. "She wasn't your girlfriend!"  
  
"Oh, God, Nicky. We could all see you weren't in love with her." Catherine sniped, bitterly. That had always upset her, how Nick didn't feel for Lindsay what she did for him. "And neither were you! Since when were you such a bitch?"  
  
"That's it. I'm outta here." Warrick muttered, disgusted. He left enough money for the whole round. Catherine sighed impatiently. "Me too." she stormed off. Sara glared after Nick as he left; she was on Catherine's side about the idea of him dating Lindsay.  
  
Alone at the table with Gil, she glanced at him. "I'm sorry." she wasn't talking about the argument, and he knew it. "I know." he replied, softly. 


	7. 7

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: OK, so I HATE this chapter, but maybe you don't. Why don't y'all tell me what you think? Please?  
  
***  
  
The following Monday, inescapable condolences followed Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Sara and Gil. For the most part, they were sincere, but Lindsay had been no cheerleader – people weren't crying in the hallways. 'Sorry' was just a word. Something that, after the massive argument they'd had on Saturday, they all knew was too easy to say.  
  
Sara sat alone for five minutes while Grissom got his food at lunchtime. She picked at the pasta salad, sighing discontentedly. "Hey." a boy put his tray down on her table, making her look up. His hair was dirty blonde, ruffled into spikes, and his appearance full of spunk. A tour t-shirt of some unknown rock group, and acid-washed jeans created an air of grunge about him. "I hear about what happened." he told her. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"You and the rest of the world."  
  
"You must be tired of condolences by now, but for what it's worth, I hope you know that not everyone is lying when they say it."  
  
"You mean, you're not."  
  
"Yeah. I wish I could make it easier for you." he said, shyly. Sara's cold heart warmed a little. "Thanks. What's your name?"  
  
"Greg Sanders."  
  
"Thank you, Greg."  
  
"I'll see ya around." he picked up his tray and left, replaced instantly by Gil. He gave her an encouraging smile, and they ate.  
  
Catherine was refusing to talk to Gil, because of what he'd said before; Sara for taking Gil's side. Nick was mad at her for saying he didn't love Lindsay – maybe it was true, and that was what worried him – and Gil because he wanted to move on, and Sara for taking Catherine's side over Lindsay. Warrick was snubbing contact with all of them, for their petty ignorance.  
  
That afternoon, as Sara asked Gil to go somewhere with her, she wondered how they'd ever be OK, after this. "It's like the world is shattering around us." she whispered, and Grissom nodded. "Or the illusion is."  
  
They were sitting in the park on a bench, far away and hidden by foliage. Sara loved it there, because it was secretive and enclosed. Only mottled sunshine provided light; a huge, shimmering canopy of leaves, lime green in colour, arced over their heads.  
  
Gil was the first person she'd even taken there before. "Look, Gil, I brought you here because I wanted to apologise for running before." she murmured. He looked at her oddly, and didn't know how to handle the situation. But the words came tumbling out of his mouth all the same. "Why, though? Why did you run?"  
  
"I was scared." she replied, "But I'm not any more."  
  
She kissed him, brazenly. Showing him that she wasn't afraid. Her tongue traced his lips, and he opened his eyes in shock. 'Not as innocent as I thought the was.' he thought, surprised at the sensations coursing through him. All caused by this *seemingly* innocent little girl. As Sara deepened the kiss, evoking arousal in him, Gil realised that she was not who she looked to be.  
  
The moment broke when Gil's phone rang. 'Bugger'. With a muttered curse, he answered it, stroking Sara's hand as he spoke. He listened to Warrick explaining the bizarre situation, sounding as bemused as Gil himself. Catherine and Nick were drunk, at Nick's house. With his parents due home any second. 'How did they get ahold of drink? More importantly, WHY?' Gil wondered, snapping his phone shut and briefly telling Sara what was going on. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to a bus stop on the park border.  
  
They caught the first bus in to Nevada Square, and paid their fares. The rattling old bus made is senile way to the Square, stopping annoyingly at regular intervals. On the way there, they spoke hurriedly about their plan of action. "How drunk?" Sara asked, curiously. Shrugging, Gil replied,  
  
"I have no idea. I imagine they started out with a bit of wine, and got curious. Dug into the alcohol cabinet." he surmised, knowing the possibility hanging in the air – the possibility that their friends had wanted to numb the sadness in them. Both Sara and Gil had seen people there before.  
  
"Maybe they wanted to forget."  
  
"Sara." Gil warned.  
  
"What?" she snapped. Not wanting to inflame the situation, Gil backed off. The evening had set in with great speed, and twilight pressed at the windows, the town eerily empty as it flashed by. Well, the bus was not the fastest mode of transport. The scenery more... drifted by... than 'flashed'.  
  
***  
  
Nick grinned, taking a swig of alcohol, and lounging across the worn out sofa. His living room was full of toys, books, and games, the fireplace chipped. The once powder-blue carpet had degraded and was now grey, the white walls smeared with dirt, chalk, and lots of other nasty stuff. He didn't mind. His horrible life was disintegrating into a world of pink elephants and colourful spinning tops and 'The Green Fairy.' He glanced at the bottle he was holding. Had he been remotely sober at the time he'd grabbed it, he would've known he was holding absinthe, maybe he would have wondered why his parents even had that, anyway. As it stood, he didn't. So he was pissed, hallucinating and very dizzy.  
  
Catherine stumbled across the room. "Hello!" she yelled. Nick yelled back.  
  
"You're blitzed!"  
  
"Nuh-uh. You are." she shouted, unsteadily taking a sip of beer. She winced. It didn't taste nice. 'Or maybe... Maybe I'm too drunk to tell. No, if I was drunk, I wouldn't be drinking any more. Wait, I am. No! It doesn't taste nice, so I'm not drinking, so I'm drunk. Or not drunk...' she gave a groan, feeling slightly giddy. "But you're moving!" Nick said. Come to think of it, everything was moving at that point.  
  
Catherine stubbornly shook her head, absently turning into a white rabbit. "I think-" the rabbit slurred, "we should..." she stopped. What was the word? Never mind.  
  
"CATHERINE!"  
  
"Mmm?" she hummed, falling over. Grissom's eyes widened. 'Oh crap. They're reeeally drunk.' Sara picked her friend off the floor, as Warrick came into the room. "Oh man." he muttered, and took the bottles from his friends. "That's enough of that." he told them, sternly.  
  
Catherine grinned. "You're much more fun when you're kissing." she said, giggling. Sara glanced, tauntingly at Warrick, and looked back at her friend. "Come with me, Cath. Or do you want Warrick to hold your head under the cold tap?"  
  
"Warrick." the young woman yelled. Sara winced at the noise, helping her friend up.  
  
When the other two went into Nick's bathroom, Gil raised his eyebrows at Sara, smirking at their discovery. "OK, Nick. You're going to get sobered up, while I get rid of these bottles." he ordered, as Sara half-dragged, half-supported Nick to the kitchen.  
  
"You know, you're such a co-dependant boy." she mused, switching on the tap. She shoved his head under the freezing spray, and held him there. "Interrupting important things, so I can come save you from your parents." Nick's reply was something along the lines of a series of gurgles. "You know, you can be such a pain." Sara turned her head, smiling at Gil when he entered with the trash, and left through the back door to put it straight in the garbage collection. "Sober yet?" she asked, and Nick made the best nodding motion that he could, under the circumstances. Sara let him up, shutting off the cold water.  
  
He shook the water out of his hair, glancing over at Grissom, who had just re-entered the kitchen. Grissom didn't smile at his friend, but left the room without saying a word. Nick looked imploringly at Sara, and she retorted, "Come on. You're going to bed." she steered him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, crossing paths with Warrick and Catherine. Nick and Catherine avoided each other's eyes as they passed one another. "You taking her home?" Sara enquired, and Warrick nodded.  
  
When everything at Nick's house was sorted, Sara and Grissom found themselves alone in the living room. They were silently reflecting the evening's events, when Sara said, "Well, I should be getting home. What time is it?" she looked around for a clock, suddenly slightly panicked. Grissom checked his watch.  
  
"Six fifteen." he replied, "Before your curfew."  
  
"I'd better be off." she said, leaving. Gil caught her arm, and kissed her softly. She stepped back after a few seconds. "Bye." she smiled at him, closing the door behind her.  
  
'Interesting end to the night.' 


	8. 8

Rating: PG  
  
Summary: The team at Tuscadero High School, Nevada...  
  
Spoilers: None, really.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
A/N: Last chapter, people!  
  
***  
  
'Time heals all wounds.' Sara told herself, staring out at the park. Having stormed off after school, she'd felt the need to calm down. She remembered sitting on the blanket with everyone here. God, five months ago. Five months since it'd happened – the kidnapping, the trial, the funeral. The arguments. She remembered the arguments.  
  
After that night at Nick's house, they'd promised to forget their squabbling; if not for themselves, for Lindsay. Unfortunately, the funeral dredged up too much for the five teenagers, and their promises soon were invalidated. Broken. The latest one had been about Lindsay's birthday – again, the group had disbanded over their lost friend. 'Everything's fallen apart.' she thought, desperate not to start crying.  
  
The February winds and bitter cold bit at her cheeks and nose, but her scarf, gloves and bomber jacket warmed her a little. Her body, at least. The breeze ruffled her hair, and the grass quivered around her. She hugged herself tighter.  
  
"Hey you." Catherine sat down beside her. Warrick followed, placing himself behind his girlfriend and holding her close. "Hello." Sara mumbled, blinking away her tears.  
  
"You alright? You know, none of us meant it." Catherine assured her friend, as Nick and Gil appeared on the blanket, too. "Yeah. Just... It's just not fair." Sara replied, breaking down. Her defences failed, and she began to cry. Catherine went to put her arm around her, but realised that Gil had already done that. Sara's head went to his shoulder, and Warrick pulled Catherine closer, Nick sitting between him and Gil.  
  
The tableau remained that way for a long time, the warmth fading as they reflected on their loss. It was a while before Warrick realised that little tiny tears were seeping through his jacket. Catherine's tears. He kissed the top of her head – "Shh. Don't cry. Time heals all wounds."  
  
The girls sobbed harder, and Nick tensed, felling a bad case of the fifth wheel. Unnoticed by the couples, he got up, and left.  
  
"I will be OK. In time. And I'll keep you alive, Linds. We all will. In our hearts; in our minds." 


End file.
